petter solberg

Petter Solberg: Wife, Career & Net Worth

Petter Solberg is a retired professional rally and rallycross driver and winner of the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

The passion for driving and racing runs in the Solberg family. His brother Henning Solberg is a rallycross driver who has won the Norwegian Rally Championship five times in a row. 

The newer generation of the Solberg is also interested in racing.

Petter Solberg in his younger days,
Petter Solberg in his younger days.

Oliver, Petter’s son, has followed in his father’s footsteps and is already the youngest international rally champion. 

His wife, Pernilla Walfriddson, was also one of the best female rally drivers in her days. 

In this article, you will find detailed information there is to know about Petter Solberg. 

Quick Facts

Here are some quick and exciting facts just in case you did not know about the talented Petter Solberg|:

Full name Petter Solberg
Date of birth 18th of November of 1974
Age 49 Years Old
Birthplace Askim of Norwegia
Religion Christian
Nationality Norwegian
Ethnicity N/A
Education Not Available
Father’s name Terje Solberg
Mother’s name Tove Solberg
Zodiac sign Scorpio
Height 5 feet and 9 inches
Weight 72 kg
Sexual Orientation Straight
Marital Status Married 
Spouse Pernilla Walfridsson
Children Oliver Solberg
Body Measurement Not Available
Hair color Grey
Eye color Brown
Net Worth $14 million
Siblings Henning Solberg
Profession Professional Rallycross driver
Current status Active
Nickname Petter 
Salary Not Available
Social Media Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
Debut year 2000 AD
Merch Sport Compact Car Magazine, Volume 14, No. 3 (Contributor)
Last Update March 2024

Petter Solberg: Early Life 

Petter Solberg was born on 18th November of 1974. He was born in Askim and later raised in Spydeberg of Norwegia. 

His father’s name is Terje Solberg, and his mother’s name is Tove Solberg. Both his parents were bill cross drivers, an inexpensive version of rallycross drivers.

Since his parents were substantial rallycross enthusiasts, it was natural that he inherited their passion. 

He has an older brother named Henning Solberg, a Norwegian rallycross driver. 

The brothers are apart in age; their passion for driving brought them together. As a result, they still have a close bond to this day. 

Since Petter was not old enough to drive, he used to help around the horse farm. His first job was as a mechanic, where he used to rebuild and repair old racing cars. 

He was a decent mechanic by the age of ten. But he also painted and tarnished the cars not to get bored.

By the age of thirteen, he took part in RC nationwide championship called Norwegian Tamiya Cup, where he rose as the victor. 

At that moment, this racer decided that he wanted to spend his life on the racing tracks. 

There is not much information on the high school he attended. But it can be confirmed that he graduated from high school, but he did not go to college.

Then following his parent’s footsteps, he took part in his first bill cross event at the age of 18 as soon as he got his driving license. 

He soon became the Norwegian rallycross champion in 1995 and the Hillclimb. 

Petter Solberg: Personal Life 

Petter Solberg is a Norwegian citizen. Moreover, he is Christian. Being born in November, Petter is a Scorpio, a water sign. 

Scorpio people have traits such as being loyal, humble, egoistic, kind, extroverted, and toxic.

Peter is the perfect example of Scorpios’ hardworking side as he is very dedicated to his passion. 

Petter is a nature lover and likes to take his cars out for a ride in the natural tracks. He is always fascinated to see nature against technology. 

Petter is a very social person and likes to hang out with his friends a lot. 

Married Life 

As soon Petter laid his eyes on Pernilla Walfridsson, he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his days with her. 

Pernilla Walfridson is the daughter of former Volvo factory driver and 1980 European Rallycross Champion, Per-Inge Walfridsson. 

Though primarily Pernilla was invested in Equestrian sports, her father urged her to become a Rallycross driver like him. And soon enough, she became one of the best in the world.

Since Pernilla and Petter both had similar interests, they fell in love remarkably. 

They had their one and only son in 2001. He was born on the 23rd of September, and they named him Oliver Solberg.

Petter wanted to pop the question to Pernilla, and he wanted the moment to be perfect. So, he planned it out at the 2002 Rally Australia. 

Petter Solberg-with-his-family-celebrating-Christmas
Petter Solberg with his family celebrating Christmas

He made the crew arrange a boat by Margaret river and a gala dinner.

With Elvis Presley playing in the background, it was the perfect moment, only for the fact that Petter forgot the ring back in Norwegia.

But a trustworthy friend of theirs had brought the essential jewelry with him, and Pernilla and Petter got engaged.

They did not delay the marriage and were at the altar in 2003. It was a private ceremony attended by loved ones. 

The couple seems to be happily married as there has been no rumor of an affair or conflict of any kind. 

Son

Both the parents shared their enthusiasm for rallycross driving with their son.

Oliver was introduced to the tracks when he was not even one year old at the 2002 Cyprus Rally.

Oliver has already won the Latvian Rally Championship in the R2 class two times.

He also won the Latvian Rally Championship in 2019 and debuted at the World Rally Championship.

Petter Solberg: Professional Career

After realizing his potential, he was hired as the junior Driver for Ford Motor Company for three years. But he left that contract to join the Subaru World Rally Team. 

Then in 2002, he won his first World Rally Championship event in Wales. Solberg was the first Norwegian to win the Driver’s World Title.

Solberg had started the 2005 season with two wins at Sweden and Mexico with his new teammate Chris Atkins.

But unfortunately, he was forced to retire the season after hitting a kangaroo at the Telstra Rally Australia.

With just runner-up positions in the 2006 season, Solberg landed the sixth overall position for Subaru that year.

In the 2007 season, Subaru was in third place at the Manufacturer’s Cup. Solberg landed a fifth overall position that year.

While Subaru retained its position in the consecutive year, Solberg was placed sixth in the overall rankings in 2008.

Since, in 2009, Subaru decided to withdraw from WRC, Solberg agreed to team up with Petter Solberg World Rally Team. 

Phil Mills agreed to be the co-driver. Petter was ranked fifth in Driver’s Championship.

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Recent Years

Solberg competed in the 2011 World Rally Championship with Citroen DS3 WRC. But he was suspended after he was caught driving more than the speed limit.

The following year, he reached the podium with his third overall ranking at the Driver’s championship and decided he wouldn’t compete in the WRC next season.

Then in 2014, he became the FIA World Rallycross Champion (WRX). This racer is the first-ever Driver to claim the FIA World titles in two motorsports.

In 2016, he landed in a fourth overall position at the FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

After a long run, Petter finally decided to retire in 2018 after GRID 2018 Gymkhana Rallycross event held in Johannesburg.

Petter Solberg: Controversy

Solberg has not landed in many controversies in his career. But he was questioned for his overspeeding once. 

The event took place at the Rally Sweden in 2012 when Solberg was going 106km at a 50 km per hour limit.

He later apologized for his lapse, but he violated article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

Further, he was also fined 1400 euros and left with a warning. Solberg never committed such a mistake in his career. 

Petter Solberg: Net Worth 

After being in the race tracks for over two decades, Petter has earned not only fame but also fortune.

Petter Solberg has an estimated net worth of $14 million.

He mainly earned from his victories, brand endorsement deals, and advertising. 

Although the Solberg’s are very wealthy, they live a quaint life. They currently reside on a farm in Mitandersfors of Sweden. 

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Petter Solberg: Physical Appearance 

Petter Solberg is five feet and nine inches tall. He weighs somewhere around 72 kgs. 

Despite his age, Petter is in a fit and healthy shape because of his balanced diet and daily workouts.

His exact body measurements are not known. Unfortunately, neither is his shoe size known. 

Petter has grey hair and blue eyes. He has a fair skin complexion. 

Petter has a facial beard and no tattoos. He has wrinkles on his skin because of his age. 

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Petter Solberg: Social Media

Petter is an active social media user active on various social media platforms.

He has a verified Instagram account with over 240k followers. In addition, he posts about his racing days and his son’s achievements.

Petter-Solberg-promoting-TW-Steel-watches
Petter Solberg promoting TW Steel watches (Source: Instagram)

While his Twitter account is also verified and has more than 98k followers, he joined in the June of 2009.

Besides, this former racer is also active on Facebook and YouTube.

FAQs

Is Petter Solberg still active? 

No, Petter Solberg has now retied. Moreover, this Norwegian racer retired in 2018

Is Petter Solberg married?

Yes, Petter Solberg is married to Pernilla Walfridsson. Besides, the couple has a son named Oliver Solberg, also a racer.

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